This invention relates generally to prosthetic nails for humans; more particularly, it relates to a prosthetic nail which is adapted to be surgically fitted to a finger or a toe so as to entirely replace a damaged or diseased nail.
It is well known that there are several million injuries to the fingertips that occur every year. This should not be surprising when one stops to think about how much humans depend on their hands in daily living, and how the hands are exposed to so many dangerous environments--including proximity to knives, hammers, drills, needles, farm implements, mallets, chisels, punches, grinders, air wrenches, shears, presses, clamps, saws, cutters, torches and other tools and machinery. In fact, it has been stated that about 30 to 40 percent of the annual industrial compensation payments to workers in the United States result from all types of injuries to the hand; and injuries to the fingertips constitute a large portion of those injuries.
In addition to debilitating injuries to the fingertips that are caused by accidents, there are also infections that can afflict the fingers in such a way as to render the nail functionally useless and/or so distorted as to even constitute an embarassment There are fungi, for example, that can eventually convert a fingernail from a smooth, thin plate into a thick, irregular mass of hardened tissue bearing more resemblance to a 10 massive scab than to a fingernail.
In addition to a person's fingers, the digits of a foot (i.e., the toes) are also vulnerable to many kinds of injuries. Lawn mowers in particular seem to contribute to many cutting injuries; the dropping of heavy objects on the leading edge of a foot naturally contributes to many crushing injuries to the toes.
There has existed, therefore, a need for a prosthetic nail which can be used to replace in its entirety a natural nail that has become severally injured or diseased. This is not to say that there has never been any attempt to create an artificial nail for humans. In fact, there have been two reports in the journal "Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery" of previous efforts to create a fingernail of acrylic resin material that is glued to the nail bed of the finger. One of these reports describe work done by H. J. Buncke, Jr. and R. J. Gonzalez; the report is entitled "Fingernail Reconstruction" and it appears at Volume 30, pages 452-461 of "Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery" (1962). Another article entitled "Replacement of a Malformed Fingernail with Acrylic Resin Material" describes work by B. N. Bautista and S. B. Nery; it appears in the same journal at Volume 55, pages 234-236 (1975). Reference to other problems with fingers can be found in Chapter 32 of the book entitled Plastic Surgery, 3rd Edition, edited by William C. Grubbs and James W. Smith, published by Little, Brown and Co. (1979). And, of course, there exits another form of what some might call "prior art," namely, the cosmetic nails that are sold in many stores for self-application (using an adhesive); these relatively cheap plastic nails are sold for the purpose of mending a broken nail or adding an apparent length to a short nail. Such cosmetic nails are merely glued on top of an existing fingernail or toenail in order to create what is described as a more pleasing appearance. Of course, such plastic appendages depend upon a natural nail for their connection to the finger or toe, and they have no structural features which would render then independently operable as prosthetic nails.
To meet the need for a prosthetic nail that is both medically acceptable and cosmetically pleasing, the earlier-referenced disclosure in U.S. Pat. No. 4,445,234 has been proposed as one way of solving the problems described above. However, the invention disclosed in that patent is essentially restricted to installation and/or removal by a surgeon, and both the installation and replacement of a prosthetic nail (when required) would involve what most laymen would call--at least--a "minor operation." That is, if a prosthetic nail should be damaged or cracked, or if an infection should somehow develop under the prosthetic nail, a surgeon would almost surely have to remove the prosthetic nail of that earlier design.
The cleanliness of a person's nail bed underneath the prosthetic nail could be more readily assured if there was some way to periodically remove a prosthetic nail, so that the bed could be cleansed with alcohol or the like, and then the nail could be replaced without the necessity of visiting a surgeon's office. It has now been determined that this is entirely feasible--by virtue of using a structure like that disclosed herein. Accordingly, it is an objection of this disclosure to reveal a structure that is capable of being selectively installed and removed from one of the digits of a person's hand or foot--without the necessity for repeated surgical procedures.
It is another object of this invention to foster a more relaxed attitude on the part of the wearer of a prosthetic nail, because the wearer need not be quite so protective of the nail--knowing that it can be easily replaced if it should become damaged as a result of strenuous activity.
Still another object is to provide a prosthetic nail which is selectively replaceable when either desired or required by the wearer, to satisfy either cosmetic preferences or structural needs, all without the necessity for repeated surgical involvement.
These and other objects will be apparent from a study of the specification and the claims attached hereto, as well as reference to the accompanying drawing.